2016 Contestants

Miss Tri-Cities returns to her roots: Columbia High grad plans to spread importance of higher education

For a someone who grew up in the dry Mid-Columbia, Hawaii provided an exotic place to attend college for Samantha Brown.

The Columbia High School graduate and Miss Tri-Cities 2014 spent two years at Chaminade University in Honolulu, falling in love with the diverse cultures that call it home, swimming with sharks and skydiving.